Romans 1:9, 10 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, 10making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you.
Acts 23:11 But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.”
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
God had promised Paul that He would send him to Rome to be a witness.
- We can imagine that Paul might have anticipated smooth sailing & a straight course to Rome.
- After all, God had assured him that he would witness in Rome.
The Christian has godly desires to serve God.
- We can even have a sense of confirmation or approval regarding our desire to serve God.
- What we often don’t anticipate are the storms along the way.
Getting from point A to point B often involves much in between.
- Don’t focus on the destination so much as to miss what God wants to do along the way.
Acts 27-28:10
Storms Open Doors For Ministry
I. Our Character
A. People Watch Us In Storms
1. Paul wasn’t yet in the stormy sea, but his recent past & present were stormy
2. He was wrongly arrested, & was in a different kind of storm
3. He lived honorably & admirably even when wrongly suffering
4. 1 Peter 3:15, 16 15But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.
B. Paul Given Special Favor (Probably) B/c Of His Character V. 3
1. Though we are not told why, Paul was given special favor by this Centurion
2. Paul’s character was (probably) noticed by the Centurion
3. Paul’s character will be increasingly noticed as this voyage progresses
4. Paul was undoubtedly different than the other prisoners, who were probably on their way to Rome to fight & die in the coliseums
5. Philippians 2:14, 15 14Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
II. Other People’s Decisions Affect Us
A. Circumstances Become Contrary
1. The winds were contrary V. 4
2. Things progressed slowly and with difficulty V. 7, 8
3. Things become dangerous V. 9
4. This trip began in August and didn’t conclude until March
B. Paul Offers Wise Counsel Based On Experience V. 10
C. Paul’s Counsel Is Ignored V. 11
1. This different ship was from Alexandria, Egypt, & carried grains to be sold
2. Decision to continue not made b/c wisdom but b/c of greed
3. Wintering in Crete would have provided more “creature comfort” V. 12
4. Continued bad decisions jeopardize Paul’s life w/everyone else Vs. 13-19
5. Hopelessness falls upon the ship; they are hopelessly lost; helpless V. 20
III. Ministry That Results From A Storm
A. Open Door To Correct & Encourage V. 21, 22
1. Paul’s character was continually admirable
2. He suffered like all the others, yet undoubtedly, suffered honorably
3. They have gone for 3+- days w/o eating. They have come to their wit’s end
4. They have been sufficiently humbled and are ready to listen to Paul
B. Open Door To Speak Of God’s Power V. 23-25
1. Paul waits to correct them until he has some encouragement to offer as well
2. Paul waits to speak until he has heard from the Lord
3. NOTE- We sometimes have to suffer along w/people before they are ready to listen to the gospel
4. Paul is able to speak w/ confidence: “to whom I belong”
C. Open Door To Pray Publicly V. 33-36
1. Paul leads them in physical health
2. Paul leads them to spiritual health
3. The people are encouraged.
D. Open Door To Show The Power Of God 28:1
1. Paul unaffected by venomous snake 28:1-6
2. Paul used to heal a man 28:7-10
E. Unbelievers Safeguarded B/c Of Nearness Of Christians V. 25,42-44
IV. God Is Behind “Other People’s” Decisions; Behind The Storms
A. Ministry To Those On The Ship B/c Of Storm
1. If Paul requested to preach in the ship, they would not likely have listened
2. After the storm, they are ready to listen
B. Ministry On Malta V. 26
1. God wanted people on Malta to hear the gospel
2. The entire island ended up hearing the gospel 28:9
3. He directed the storm so that Paul would have the opportunity to preach.
4. If Paul had requested a preaching trip to Malta, he would have been refused
5. Now everyone is happy to go to Malta. The storm has changed everything
6. NOTE– As you pray to serve God, are you willing to go through storms to do it?
7. Ministry to Malta would not have happened w/o the storm
a. Concert in Baja, Hungary, 1990. Outdoor college student festival
b. Rainstorm delayed concert 4 hours.
We didn’t know if we would be cancelled
c. Delay resulted in us opening for famous Hungarian band
d. Greater audience, greater ministry, greater fruit, better place on schedule
V. Things To Consider
A. Storms Can Last A Long Time V.27
1. The length & severity of the storm creates more readiness in people’s lives
2. God will humble people in order that they will listen to Him
B. Your Character In A Storm Influences Others Vs. 30-32
1. After making bad decisions, the Centurion is ready to listen to Paul’s advice
C. The Greater & Longer The Storm, The Greater The Salvation
1. At the beginning of this trip, only a few would have listened to Paul
2. Now he is ministering to 276 people
D. Are You Praying For “Fair Weather” Ministry?
1. Some of God’s greatest works happen when things are very difficult
2. Are you willing to endure storms & other people’s bad decisions?
3. Are you willing to suffer unjustly for the opportunity to minister to others?
Biblical Archeological Review article on the four anchors. (Extra Credit)
Acts 28:1 names the island as Malta.
The depth where the anchors were cut loose was 15 fathoms. (90 feet)
It was near a bay with a beach that they cut the anchors loose. V. 39
It was a place where two seas met. V. 41
Most of Malta’s coastline is cliffs, so finding a particular bay with a beach isn’t difficult.
There’s reef in that place where the two seas meet, on the south side of the island.
St. Paul’s Bay erroneously named and located on the north side of Malta.
That would have been the place where the ship would have struck and been stuck.
2002 BAR article speaks of a search party led by Bob Cornuke, Bible Archaeology Search And Exploration Institute, Colorado Springs that interviewed local spear fishermen on Malta that had seen 4 anchors of the type and size that would have been used on a boat like the one Paul was transported on.
One of the spear fishermen retrieved one of the anchors, and it was on display at a local villa.
Eventually, all of the anchors were recovered. One was unfortunately melted down for lead.
Two are in the custody of the Maltese government. One was in the custody of a private party.